The National Hockey League's Western Conference was more competitive this season and there probably are more realistic Stanley Cup candidates out West than there are in the East. Really, would anybody be that stunned if the No. 8-seeded Chicago Blackhawks went on a run to the Cup finals?

The best debates in the West

-- Is Roberto Luongo a Stanley Cup-caliber goalie? Luongo's regular-season numbers were outstanding and he said he's as comfortable as he ever has been heading into the postseason with the Vancouver Canucks. But there still are plenty of people who will doubt Luongo until he raises the Cup. "I can only say one thing. Eddie Belfour had the same reputation when he came to Dallas, then he won a championship and now all of a sudden he's a great money goalie," St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong told Sporting News. "It's not just Roberto. All those players are going to have to deal with that until they get their team to the promised land."

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-- Are the Detroit Red Wings primed for an upset or are they a Cup contender? The Red Wings were average down the stretch, yet finished as one of three Western Conference teams with more than 100 points. They've had their struggles at home and finished the season at No. 23 in scoring defense, allowing 2.89 goals per game — the most of any playoff team. And yet, it's hard to pick against them. "Anyone who even remotely follows NHL hockey knows how strong Detroit has been for many years," Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney said. The Wings have a history of raising their game at the right moment, and they will need to in order to eliminate the underrated Coyotes.

-- Which California team is best suited for a Cup run? There are three California teams in the playoffs, and a strong Stanley Cup case can be made for two of them. And a long shot case for the third. The San Jose Sharks have the kind of goaltending and firepower up front that make them an easy team to like this time of year, but the Anaheim Ducks entered the playoffs among the NHL's hottest teams. They have a Hart Trophy contender in Corey Perry and a Norris Trophy contender in Lubomir Visnovsky. Their strong play earned them a more favorable matchup against the Nashville Predators than it looked like they were going to get. Anze Kopitar's injury downgrades the Kings from Stanley Cup sleeper to long shot.

1. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks. An Olympic gold medal hasn't shaken the critics and if the Canucks don't match the high expectations, fingers again will be pointed at Luongo. Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who got to know Luongo well with Team Canada, sees a goalie capable of answering his critics. "He's very talented, he's big, he moves well," Fleury told Sporting News. "I don't believe people can say he's not able to play under pressure — he showed that in the Olympics."

2. Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks. The temptation is to pile on Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau for their inconsistent performances in the previous playoffs, but it's time for Heatley to produce. His 26 goals was the lowest total of his career in any season in which he played at least 40 games. He also has two goals in his past 18 playoff games.

3. Dustin Penner, Los Angeles Kings. Penner hasn't made the impact GM Dean Lombardi was hoping he would when the Kings landed the big forward at the trade deadline. He has six points in 19 games with the Kings and it'll be a quick exit for Los Angeles if he doesn't pick up the production.

4. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings. He said he expects to be more comfortable during his second playoff appearance after making his debut last spring. Howard wasn't bad last year, but he can't be outplayed by Ilya Bryzgalov if the Red Wings want to make a run.

5. Patric Hornqvist, Nashville Predators. It's time the Predators get out of the first round -- but a lack of scoring is their biggest obstacle. Hornqvist was injured during last year's playoffs in his postseason debut and had one assist in two playoff games. In four games against Nashville’s first-round opponent Anaheim this season, Hornqvist had three goals. His seven points against the Ducks this season were more than he scored against any other team.